WATERSHED
The natural habitats of Kiawah support a variety of wildlife and plant communities . This includes 18 species of mammals ( Jordan , 2014 ), 30 species of reptiles and amphibians ( McElroy , 2015 ), and 300 species of resident and migratory birds ( Given , 2020 ). In addition , 23 unique plant communities ( Gramling , 2013 ) have been identified and over 67 endangered and threatened species have been observed within the environs of Kiawah Island ( S . C . Heritage Trust Program ).
Kiawah Island is generally defined by many as the municipal boundaries of the Town of Kiawah Island . However , wildlife does not acknowledge these human-defined boundaries and frequently migrate to and from the island in pursuit of resources and territorial ranges . Likewise , the natural habitats on Kiawah Island are not separated from those of John ’ s or Seabrook Islands . Instead , they form a continuum of interconnected natural habitats which influence one another .
In the Kiawah Conservancy ’ s 2030 Strategic Plan , our focus shifted towards expanding our conservation efforts to areas within the environs of Kiawah Island ; stretching beyond human-defined boundaries and focusing on the natural ones . One of the most widely used natural boundaries comes from our most abundant and influential natural resources in the area , water . These boundaries are referred to as watersheds which define natural drainage areas based on the local topography . All areas within a specific watershed area naturally downstream towards a specific waterbody . The United States Geological Survey defines nation-wide watershed boundaries at different sizes using surface features classified and are classified with hydrologic unit codes ( HUCs ). Three subwatersheds ( 12-digit HUC ) from this dataset were used to define the boundaries of the environs of Kiawah Island .
The extent of these watersheds is used as the area of focus for reporting on ecosystem health , with analysis of various indicators identified by the Kiawah Conservancy ’ s Ecological Health Committee incorporated herein . These areas were broken down into 2.5-acre drainage areas using a hydro-enforced digital elevation model from SCDNR ( OCM Partners , 2017 ) and categorized into upland and lowland areas .
Ecological Health of Kiawah Island 2022 4